Vassar College, Pougb keeps ie, N.Y.
jFeb. 14, IB97,
/
My dear Mother,-—
Ed's letter that you forwarded came on the evening mail
yesterday. I think that is the first time this year that I have gotten
anything by that mail. There were some flowers in it, but I do not
know what they are.
The paper that came yesterday had a good deal of news in it.
I am so sorry Dr. Upham has resigned; I liked him so much. There was
a decided difference in the resignation letters of Dr. Upham and Dr. Ladd,
was'n't there?
That was very sad about that boy dropping dead at High School.
Ray always reads the home papers that I get; they very seldom send her
any.
We had a young Episcopalian minister this morning, from a
little town three miles from Poughkeepsle: he preached the most halt-
ing sermon I have ever heard. I suppose he was embarrassed. He
preached without notes, and in almost every sentence he would repeat
part of it, or change the form of it, or begin with a verb in the active
voice and then stop and begin over with it in the passive. Once he tried
to quote one of the beatitudes and he got it all tangled up with other verses
and finally had to give it up, by saying "Oh, you know what beatitude I mean."
It was very painful; everybody was nervous for fear he would break down
altogether.
JFcb. J4, 1897, - 2
Yesterday we celebrated Valentine's Day: all the senior tables
were decorated with red paper hearts suspended above them, and red
candles on them. Then Prof. Moore's little girl, about five years old
carried around to the various Senior tables a basket full of valentines,
and left at each table the bundle that belonged there. Irene Lawrence,
who was chairman of the committee guided her around. Irene is an awfully
nice girl: the more I see of her the better I like her. I got six valentines -
some of them were very good. I wrote only two this year, I wanted to
write more but I had too much else on hand. We had to write a German
Sssay for tomorrow, and that took a good deal more time than an ordi-
nary lesson. Beside that, I have to take charge of Civitas Club tomorrow
night, and for that I have to read up about the Fabian Society. We have a
queer thing to do for History tomorrow: that is, to find out all the
rigmarole which«we-would have to be gone through with in order to get
ourselves appointed postmistress of the town in which we live. I can not
find out much about it from any books that I have consulted yet. It takes
so long to look for things when you don*t know what to look for. That
history course, though, is far the most interesting history course that I
have had- I am so glad I elected it. We are studying the Constitution
now- Pretty soon we shall be having the history of political parties in
the U.S. Then I shall learn why I am a Republican, or else perhaps I shall
(Feb. 14, 1897, - 3
turn Democrat.* Miss Salmon is such a fine woman: She gave us the
most interesting talk last Monday on the "Relation of the teacher to
the Community"- X mean by "us" a pedagogical club which one of the
girls in our class has just started up: its members consist of the girls
who expect to teach next year, and the various professors are going to
talk to us, about once a week, on subjects interesting and valuable to
teachers. The substance of Miss Salmon's remarks was that the teacher
should be intimately associated with the life of the community; that the
community needed the teacher and the teacher needed the community.
She believes that the very best place for a fresh college graduate to
teach in is a very small town. She says that college graduates have
usually had the best advantages all their lives, and have always been
absorbing, like a sponge, all that is good- but that when they graduate
it is time they began to give out, and, like a sponge, they will give out
most when there is the most pressure. Therefore she thinks that a
very small town, where will bring out all there is in a teacher, and make
her establish independence of ideas and methods, because there will be
the most need for decision and ingenuity, and most will be demanded of
a teacher, in all directions in which she can help a community. Miss
Salmon said that a teacher should be the most unselfish person on earth.
She can well say it, for she practices what she preaches. So I suppose I
had better be looking around for my small town!
fFcb. J4, 1897, -
I must go to bed now, for it is time for the hell. So farewell
Love to all,
Adelaide. jClafLinj
February 14. 1897.